By Shuhada Elis
shuhadaelis@nst.com.my
NST pix by Badrolhisham Bidin
If you happen to pass by the road in Padang Temu, Malacca, you might be curious to see a signage that says “Rumahku Muziumku” (My Home, My Museum).
The area does not look like a tourist attraction spot as only terrace houses and a school can be seen at the sides of the road.
But you cannot help but be awed once you are in front of the 29-year-old house owned by antiques collector Nordin Ali.
From the lawn to the very end of the kitchen, the house is filled with more than one thousand of antique stuff, ranging from brassware to furniture, jewelleries, weapons, and even bridal beds and accessories of Malay, Baba Nyonya and Chitty couples.
Some of them worth thousands of ringgit and are more than 400 years old.
The stuff are arranged and displayed neatly but there are so many that it is sometimes hard to walk inside the house without worrying that you might knock something down.
Seventy-three-year-old Nordin, who started collecting the materials since the past 30 years, speaks fondly of his prized possessions.
“I have written a will so that my children will take good care of my belongings until they are passed down to the next generations. Nothing should be taken out from this house, ever,” he said.
The will is handwritten, framed and hung at the side wall near the door for visitors to read and for family members to always remember and respect Nordin’s love and passion for his collections.
The government retiree has eight children, 26 grandchildren and five great grandchildren but he only lives in the house with his wife Maznah Ali, 52.
His children are all married and live outside Malacca.
Asked about where the couple sleeps at night because all the three rooms in the house are heavily decorated, Nordin said: “We are Malay so we sleep in the Malay bridal room. But it is quite a tiring work for my wife because she has to make up the room every morning.”
The couple receives only five to six visitors a day because Nordin does not want his possessions to go missing. So far he has lost about 30 stuff including an old keris which was hung at his wall.
But he is also wondering whether the keris actually “made its way home” to the place where it belongs.
“Sometimes antique stuff are rather mysterious. Some of them are ‘alive’,” he said, adding that his wife could not sleep when she first came to the house.
“I feel like there is someone else at home and I kept hearing things but they disappeared after a while. Perhaps I was regarded as an outsider then,” Maznah said.
Nowadays, Maznah too shares Nordin’s passion and helps to dust off the items whenever possible. She also enjoys daily conversation they have with visitors, explaining about the history of the collections.
Among the most expensive stuff Nordin has bought are a huge chandelier and a gramophone which are worth almost RM3,000.
Some, like a RM45,000 Baba Nyonya bed, are acquired through barter system with his Chinese friend who owns a heritage hotel in the state.
Nordin is also a proud owner of a 100-year-old radio and telephones which are still working.
He is considered lucky as antique lovers and sellers know where to find him. Most of the time, the stuff they sold are below market price because they know that he would take good care of them, just like his own children.
The home museum was officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam on Feb 2002. It is open from 10am to 10pm daily except on Friday. Admission is free but contributions are welcomed.
NST pix by Badrolhisham Bidin
If you happen to pass by the road in Padang Temu, Malacca, you might be curious to see a signage that says “Rumahku Muziumku” (My Home, My Museum).
The area does not look like a tourist attraction spot as only terrace houses and a school can be seen at the sides of the road.
But you cannot help but be awed once you are in front of the 29-year-old house owned by antiques collector Nordin Ali.
From the lawn to the very end of the kitchen, the house is filled with more than one thousand of antique stuff, ranging from brassware to furniture, jewelleries, weapons, and even bridal beds and accessories of Malay, Baba Nyonya and Chitty couples.
Some of them worth thousands of ringgit and are more than 400 years old.
 |
| Some of the antiques in the museum |
The stuff are arranged and displayed neatly but there are so many that it is sometimes hard to walk inside the house without worrying that you might knock something down.
Seventy-three-year-old Nordin, who started collecting the materials since the past 30 years, speaks fondly of his prized possessions.
“I have written a will so that my children will take good care of my belongings until they are passed down to the next generations. Nothing should be taken out from this house, ever,” he said.
The will is handwritten, framed and hung at the side wall near the door for visitors to read and for family members to always remember and respect Nordin’s love and passion for his collections.
The government retiree has eight children, 26 grandchildren and five great grandchildren but he only lives in the house with his wife Maznah Ali, 52.
His children are all married and live outside Malacca.
 |
| Keris collection |
The couple receives only five to six visitors a day because Nordin does not want his possessions to go missing. So far he has lost about 30 stuff including an old keris which was hung at his wall.
But he is also wondering whether the keris actually “made its way home” to the place where it belongs.
“Sometimes antique stuff are rather mysterious. Some of them are ‘alive’,” he said, adding that his wife could not sleep when she first came to the house.
“I feel like there is someone else at home and I kept hearing things but they disappeared after a while. Perhaps I was regarded as an outsider then,” Maznah said.
Nowadays, Maznah too shares Nordin’s passion and helps to dust off the items whenever possible. She also enjoys daily conversation they have with visitors, explaining about the history of the collections.
Among the most expensive stuff Nordin has bought are a huge chandelier and a gramophone which are worth almost RM3,000.
Some, like a RM45,000 Baba Nyonya bed, are acquired through barter system with his Chinese friend who owns a heritage hotel in the state.
 |
| Antique weighing scale used trading in the 50s |
Nordin is also a proud owner of a 100-year-old radio and telephones which are still working.
He is considered lucky as antique lovers and sellers know where to find him. Most of the time, the stuff they sold are below market price because they know that he would take good care of them, just like his own children.
The home museum was officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam on Feb 2002. It is open from 10am to 10pm daily except on Friday. Admission is free but contributions are welcomed.
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